


i am who you really fear

by ilyasomina



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attack Angel Castiel, M/M, Post-Season/Series 05, Stranger's Perspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:48:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyasomina/pseuds/ilyasomina
Summary: "He's got one on a leash, you know," He says, loudly enough that a few people at neighboring tables glance over in interest. "An angel."Henry snorts into his drink, rolling his eyes. "He doesn't have an angel on a leash."The hunter looks offended, and he grumbles to himself, pointing his beer bottle at Henry. "He does. I've seen it.""You've seen it?" Richard asks, looking like he's trying his hardest to keep from laughing at the man. "You've seen Dean Winchester's petangel?"
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 15
Kudos: 133





	i am who you really fear

**Author's Note:**

> this takes place post-s5, with the idea that dean never went to lisa's after sam fell in the cage, and when god brought cas back he wasn't all there if you know what i mean. it is told from the perspective of another hunter who has never met them. (also there's only one singular homophobic slur used in this, but i figured i should put a warning here just in case)
> 
> title from [wrong turn by kim petras](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lufe_OjG4OU).

The first time Elijah meets Dean Winchester, it is at a bar, nearing one in the morning, and Dean is gloriously drunk.

Dean strides into the bar like he owns the place- and he might as well, if they're being honest, because it is notoriously a hunter bar, half the patrons were there for post-hunt drinks, and Dean was definitely the best of them-, and Elijah can practically hear the conversations hush, and the eyes that turn on him.

Dean takes no notice. He slides into a barstool, cracks his neck, and flatly orders two fingers of whiskey. The bartender eyes him warily, like she knows who he is and what he's done but is too afraid to address him.

"Shit," Henry mutters under his breath beside Elijah, trying and failing to not stare. "Holy shit. I can't believe he's here."

Elijah knows who he is, has heard rumors of what he's done in the past, but he hasn't heard anything new. "Where's his brother?" He murmurs, eyeing the way the barstools to Dean's left and right stay pointedly empty despite the bar being crowded enough to warrant them being taken. 

"You didn't hear?" Richard asks, eyebrows shooting up. He leans in, like he's got some big secret. He looks around, although nobody is listening, too engrossed in their own conversations- most likely discussing the same topic. "Dude's in Hell. Like, the Hell." 

Elijah looks at him sharply, startled. "He died?"

"Nah, man, he fought Lucifer. Got possessed by him and dragged his ass back into Hell with him inside," Richard grins, like the story is a legendary piece of gossip and not a horrifying fact of life, one that makes Elijah get chills up his spine.

Elijah glances back at Dean, whose already finished his whiskey and has ordered another glass. "Dean didn't try to get him out?"

"Dunno," Richard shrugs. "I heard he couldn't. Locked up too tight down there."

"Didn't Dean come back from Hell?" Henry asks.

"He was dragged out by an angel. That's different."

Elijah's head almost cracks with how fast he snaps around, staring at them wide-eyed. "Angels aren't real."

Both of them give him confused looks. Richard raises an eyebrow, looking a bit condescending. "If angels aren't real, what do you think Lucifer is?"

Elijah has to think about it for a moment. "I don't know. But there's no way angels are real. I've never heard of any hunter that's met one."

"Dean has," Richard says, jerking his head in said man's direction.

To their right, a portly hunter with a beard and the wrinkles of someone who's been in the business longer than Elijah's been alive leans towards them, loudly sloshing his beer as he gets in their space.

"He's got one on a leash, you know," He says, loudly enough that a few people at neighboring tables glance over in interest. "An angel."

Henry snorts into his drink, rolling his eyes. "He doesn't have an angel on a leash."

The hunter looks offended, and he grumbles to himself, pointing his beer bottle at Henry. "He does. I've seen it."

"You've seen it?" Richard asks, looking like he's trying his hardest to keep from laughing at the man. "You've seen Dean Winchester'spet _angel?"_

Elijah tries to picture it. An angel, like the ones carved into stained glass or drawn up in the bible, on a little red leash and collar, following Dean Winchester around like a little lost puppy. He's still reeling from the fact that angels are _real_ \- why would something so powerful, so biblically relevant and made in God's image, choose to come down to Earth and stick around a _hunter_ of all people?

"Well, I didn't, but guy I know did," The hunter says. At his table, his other friends look a little embarrassed, sneaking glances at Dean at the bar, who's working his way through his fourth glass of whiskey. Other hunters around them are leaning in, listening with rapt attention. "Little thing. Wears a stupid coat all the time and follows Dean's every order. Guy's seen 'em work their way through a whole vampire nest, just the angel killing on his command. Even got it branded, he does." 

"Branded?" Henry repeats skeptically. "How do you brand an angel?"

"With the word of the Lord," Richard says, a serious expression on his face, and they both burst into laughter. A few other people titter along, and the older hunter turns red in the face, looking angrier with each passing second.

"Go ask him!" He says, and his voice is loud enough now that Elijah is sure everyone can hear it. "Go ask him yourself to show it to you!" 

At the bar, Dean takes a wad of cash out of his pocket, and drops his bill and a hefty tip onto the counter top. He rolls his shoulders, adjusts his jacket, and leaves without even a glance at any of the other patrons.

As the door swings shut behind him, the bar settles into an eerie silence, most eyes either on the door or on their table. Richard looks around, noticing this, and rolls his eyes.

"You guys can't possibly believe he has an _angel_ that he brings around like a golden retriever," He says out loud, to the general room. A few people shift uncomfortably, but nobody responds. "I bet none of you have even seen an angel before."

"Bet you haven't either," The hunter says, a bit triumphantly, like he's already won the argument. "But you can. Go ask him yourself, if you've got the balls."

Richard throws him a glare. He gives Henry an indiscernible look- Henry shrugs, and with a heavy sigh, Richard gets to his feet.

Elijah's hand shoots out to grab his wrist. "Wait, Rich, I don't think this is a good idea."

The hunter laughs, a deep, throaty sound like he's been smoking for decades. "What's wrong? You afraid, kid? Afraid of another hunter?"

"He's not just another hunter-" Elijah begins, but he's cut off by the hunter getting to his feet as well, the table jerking forward with the heft of his body. 

"I'll show you," The hunter says. He wobbles on his feet, like all the beer from the night has finally caught up with him now that he's upright, and starts moving slowly towards the door. "I'll show you."

The whole bar watches him, and only the three of them get up to follow him out- Richard confidently, Elijah nervously, and Henry like he's just bored and wants to see what will happen.

Outside, the chilly November air bites at Elijah's cheeks. He's still holding Richard's wrist, like a lifeline, his heart pounding in his ears like it does when he's about to start a particularly brutal hunt. The hunter stands at the entrance of the bar for a moment, scanning the dirt parking lot. Looking over the cars like he's looking for something specific. He must find it, because he finally starts working his way towards the edge of the lot. 

"If this dude is fucking with us and is just a serial killer, I'm gonna be so mad," Henry grumbles under his breath. Richard laughs, and Elijah glares at both of them.

The hunter comes to a halt in front of an old vintage Chevy, huge and daunting in itself. It's in perfect condition, and the man lets out a grunt, slapping the hood with more force than necessary. Enough that Elijah winces.

"Now we wait," The hunter says, proudly.

Richard gives him an appalled look. "Dude, we're not waiting out here in the cold for-"

They don't have to wait long. The night sky rumbles, dark and menacing, with thunder from clouds that do not exist. In the backseat of the car, someone sits up, like they were in there the whole time, although Elijah swears the car was empty when they first approached it.

The door swings open and the person steps out. It's a man, a little shorter than Elijah himself, with bright blue eyes and a mouth set in a hard line, dressed in a beige trench coat and a suit underneath. He stands there, perfectly still, staring at the hunter specifically with a piercing gaze, unblinking.

Richard and Henry take a step back. The hunter flounders for a second, clearly as a surprised as Elijah that there was someone in the car. But once he takes in his appearance he settles, like he can tell the man isn't a threat- other than his stare, he does look in the least bit alarming. If anything, he looks ordinary.

"Who are you?" The hunter gruffs, puffing out his chest.

The man doesn't respond. The silence is awkward and charged, and the hunter bluffs, taking a step towards the man like it might bully him into speaking. The man does not even blink. 

"I said, who are you?" The hunter demands again.

"Who are _you?"_ A new voice asks. Elijah feels chills run up his spine, and his grip on Richard's wrist tightens.

Around the other cars comes Dean Winchester, zipping up his pants like he was taking a piss behind a tree, wavering on his feet a little like all that whiskey had actually affected him. He takes in the three of them, the hunter and the man glaring at each other, and then glances at the car, like it's its own person.

"Dean," The man says, turning his gaze from the hunter to said man. His expression softens, but only a little. "This man hit Baby."

Elijah frowns at Richard. _Baby?_ He mouths, and Richard shrugs, just as confused.

Dean looks struck, whipping around to the car. He leans down to inspect the hood, frowning, and when he finally looks up at the hunter, his glare is as piercing as the other man's.

"Any reason you're messing with my car, man?" Dean asks, voice colder now. He steps into place beside the man in the trench coat, crossing his arms.

The hunter looks like he's trying to get some of his bluff back, eyes darting between the two of them. He clears his throat, crossing his own arms as well, and jerks his head towards Dean. "The angel. We wanna see it."

Dean looks at the three of them now, and Elijah shrinks back, almost hiding behind Richard. Dean notices, because of course he does, and Elijah can't help but feel pinned in place when Dean's eyes settle on him specifically.

"Angel?" Dean asks, slowly. He uncrosses his arms and puts one of his hands on the lower back of the man in the trench coat. It's a very distinct, almost intimate move. The hunter catches it and makes a face of disgust. Dean also notices that. 

"We know you have an angel on a leash," The hunter says. "We know you trained one to follow you."

Henry coughs awkwardly. "Well, _I_ don't know that..."

Dean gives Henry an amused look. "A leash?" He repeats. He looks at the man in the trench coat, whose gaze has been fixed purposefully on the hunter this entire time, just as unsettling as before. The blue of his eyes looks other worldly. "Are you interested in getting a leash, Cas?"

The hunter scowls at him. "We didn't come here to hear about your weird kinks with your fag boyfriend-" He starts to say, but he never finishes his sentence. The man in the trench coat, Cas, lunges forward so fast Elijah doesn't even see him move- one minute the hunter is talking, and the next he's on his ass on the ground, blood pouring from his nose, Cas looming over him with a dark fury on his face.

Henry and Richard jerk back, dragging Elijah with them. Dean doesn't move, looking down at the hunter with the expression one might look at their shoe when they've stepped in a pile of dog shit. "You're the one who suggested a leash," Dean says casually, like the hunter isn't bleeding through his fingers as he clutches his face, glaring up at them.

"Fuck you!" The hunter spits. Some blood flecks onto Cas' face. He doesn't move his gaze, but he tilts his head in Dean's direction, like he's waiting to hear... something.

Dean sighs and scratches at his head. He moves to come closer to the three of them, standing just a few inches away from Elijah. He smells like leather and oil and something distinctly similar to ozone. "You got the time?"

Elijah shakily checks his watch. "One twenty-three."

Dean nods, pursing his lips as he thinks. He glances between Cas and the hunter, and after a few seconds, lets out another sigh. "Okay," He says at Cas, nodding at the hunter. "Make it quick, though."

The sky rumbles again with nonexistent clouds. Cas moves with a smoothness that is entirely unnatural, and it's only when he's lifting the hunter off his feet- a man who is over eight inches taller and definitely a hundred pounds heavier than him- that Elijah realizes Cas is not human. It is only when Cas bares his teeth, eyes flashing so bright blue they almost glow white, and tears into the hunter's throat like a wild animal that Elijah realizes Cas is something much, much worse.

Richard physically jerks backwards when Cas rips out the hunter's throat. Beside him, Henry mutters, "Jesus fucking Christ...", and after a few seconds, Elijah hears him turn tail and flee back into the bar.

Like he's a rag doll, Cas tosses the man to the ground, the sickening crunch of bones breaking echoing in the lot. The hunter gurgles hellishly, his throat torn open and pouring out blood sickly. Cas, dropping to all fours above him, takes one hand and rips into the hunter's chest like it's made of stuffing.

Dean, for everything that's happening, does not look at all affected. In fact, he looks almost bored, watching Cas tear apart the hunter's body like some sort of feral animal attack as if it were a normal occurrence.

 _Maybe it is,_ Elijah thinks to himself. _Maybe this is normal for them._

For a few minutes, the only sound is the silence of the night, and the slick, sickening sound of blood slip sliding under Cas' hands. The hunter has stopped breathing, clearly dead, and with the way Cas is crouched over his body Elijah can't see what he's doing, but it must not be good by the sounds the body is making.

Finally, Dean says, in a firm voice, "Cas. Enough."

Cas whips around to look at them over his shoulder, and Elijah can't help the fearful whimper he lets out- the blood is smeared all over Cas' face, dripping from his mouth, staining his own throat. He stays hunched there, savage and wild looking, until Dean approaches him cooly, not even bothering to be cautious about it. Maybe he doesn't need to.

When Dean touches him, his whole body relaxes. It's like he settles immediately, raising gracefully to his feet despite the blood drenching his front and the bloody, torn apart corpse at his feet. Dean puts a hand on Cas' shoulder, then licks the thumb of his other one and reaches out to wipe gently at a drop of blood on the delicate skin just beneath Cas' left eye.

"Atta boy," Dean says, softly, and Cas' face melts into something soft and sweet. He beams at Dean through the blood on his face, like a kid being praised for doing the right thing. 

Richard and Elijah are still standing there- Richard is staring in horror at the hunter's body, where the chest cavity had been forcibly pried apart, organs and viscera spilling out like some kind of fucked up looking art piece. Elijah is staring curiously at Dean and Cas. At the way Dean continues wiping at the blood on Cas' face, the hand on his shoulder moving lower to his back, pressing him close to Dean's own body.

"How did you brand him?" Elijah blurts out, before he can stop himself, and immediately shrinks back in fear when Dean and Cas both turn their gazes on him. Cas looks a little distant, like he's not entirely there, and Dean, surprisingly, does not look as bothered as he thought he would be at the question.

"Angel blade," Dean explains, surprising Elijah that he actually answered. He opens Cas' trench coat and tugs at the button down shirt tucked into his pants- Cas lets him move him easily, allowing Dean to lift the shirt to reveal his ribs, where a large _"D.W."_ is carved into his skin. It looks fresh, like it was only done recently, still raised and red around the edges. "He heals quickly, so I have to do it every other day."

"He lets you?" Elijah asks, turning prying eyes on Cas. Cas smiles at him, and it is something kind and far gentler than the act he just saw the angel commit.

"He branded me first," Dean says, patting at his own ribs, and the tone of his voice implies it's some sort of inside joke. He shoots Cas a sly smile, and, surprisingly, the angel turns a faint pink color. "Gotta hold him down for it, sometimes."

Eventually, Dean crowds Cas back into the car, and does a sort of half wave, half salute at Richard and Elijah without another word. The cars engine revs to life, loud and monstrous by itself, and as it pulls out of the lot, dirt sprays on the hunter's corpse, leaving a thin layering of mud over his wounds.

They stand in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Richard lets out a full body shudder, squeezing his eyes shut and turning away from the corpse.

"I never want to meet another fucking angel again," He announces. Elijah's still holding his wrist, so when he starts back for the bar, he has to follow.

Elijah glances back at the road, where the Chevy had disappeared into the darkness, and he can't help but think that that angel in particular is definitely different from the rest of them. 

**Author's Note:**

> dean seeing elijah: cas don't you dare scare this little baby gay i swear to god
> 
> edit: why am i just now realizing i named 2/3 of the oc's after donna tartt characters. why am i like this


End file.
